Why NOT to work harder! Follow me... Part 1; Update 2

**Check out the INTRO BLOG POST to this article here**

I just wanted to provide a brief outline for those thinking of re-launching or refreshing their business along with TC.  This is a broad overview and their will be many posts on each topic in the months to come.

1. Products/Services: are you offering anything new?  Any services your clients just may not be aware that you offer?  What's your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
2. Fees: Set your fees and stick to them especially in a service business.  Some will try to chew you down constantly.  Think of your time, and ask yourself if they would do the same for you.
3. Systems: Can you handle more business with the current systems in place?  Do you have enough help?  Will more leads mean you have to work 16 hour days?
4. Brand: Either re-launch the brand you have if you like it and feel that it resonates with your clients, or refresh your image.  You should have a professional set of marketing materials including a logo, business card, envelopes, letterhead and website.  The image you portray should be the same over EVERY medium.
5. Business Plan: What's your goal with this re-launch/refresh? Where do you want your business to be in 1, 5, 10, 15 years and how are you going to get there?  All questions that must be answered.
6. Marketing Plan: How are you going to get new clients?  Referrals?  Repeat business?  Do you eliminate print advertising completely in today's Internet age?  How important are professional ad campaigns versus ones designed by yourself?
7. Implementation:  It's great that you have it all down on paper.  Businesses that do that are way ahead of the mark.  Now, you need to implement it.  This can be the hardest step for some.  They key is consistency over time.  Committing to something for two, or even six months isn't going to change anything.

Print this out and scribble notes as ideas pop into your head.  This is the brainstorming phase. Feel free to share any of your ideas.

Why NOT to work harder! Follow me...Part 1 Update 1

Well, it's been a productive couple of days...

All my rates and fees are updated.

• I finally finished my Facebook Fanpage.
• Sent out this months email newsletter introducing my newest goal and asking people to follow along with the blog.

Next tasks on my list include:

• Contacting all current clients about the changes. Can't wait for that, ugh!
• Re-brand all marketing material: Business cards & Facebook page match...Now for Letterhead, Envelopes, Brochures, Flyers, Newsletters, WEB SITE (that will be a long process) & various other forms.
• Sending new business cards to all clients reminding them about "Referral Rewards" ($25 credit with TC for any new client referral).
• Just got a phone call to be a guest speaker on a conference call about Facebook Marketing for Realtors. Awesome! Now for an outline. I will make this available online as well (once conference call is over).
• Systematize my services. I need to have outlines and processes for all services provided.
• Create new forms, website pages, etc to better explain what TC can do for small businesses.

My determination and motivation has jumped through the roof with this blog idea. Knowing that I have to update every couple of days keeps me on track. Good idea on my part; if I do say so myself :)

 

Please post your progress, ideas, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing everyones progress.

 

Why NOT to work harder! Follow me...

Recently, a friend on Facebook posted about how the businesses that tried the hardest, gave 110%, were going to be the ones that succeeded.  And it got me thinking...Does that really sound right?  At face value, but something bugged me about it.  Maybe it was the fact that I never saw the "Work Hard = Profits" equation in my economics class, or maybe it was because I've been working hard for years and feel like my business isn't growing as fast as I would like.  Something's fishy...

So, I decided to commit myself, 110%, to doing what will truly grow my business.  I'm not going to be working harder, I'm going to be working smarter!

Hopefully you will follow me on this journey.  Subscribe to my blog and grow your business along with me.  I'm going to need you guys to hold me accountable and I am more than willing to do the same for you.

Once every two weeks I'm going to post about the work that I've done to seriously grow my business.  Take the tips and use them in your business.  This isn't hard.  It's about having a plan and sticking to it.

First Goal: Revamp current business rates and procedures. 

I've decided that I'm not working for free anymore.  I'm so busy everyday doing work that never pays.  Forget it!  I'm done with it.  I've got a family to feed and take care of just like everyone else. 

New contracts will be signed, rates set and procedures outlined so all parties know what to expect when they work with TC.

Lets get this journey started.  I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to start making some real profits, all while NOT working harder!

PS.  I've got two businesses I'm going to be working on.  My marketing business - TC Business Management, LLC www.TCMandD.com - and my online classified site - PA E Seller  PAESeller.com (which I've ignored since inception).  This plan will work for any business with just some minor tweaking.  B2B or B2C.

How Do You Know What Marketing Works Best? TRACK IT!

This is so important. I don't care what kind of advertising you spend your money on, you need to know if it works. Trends don't matter. Results matter.


Below I will describe some ways to track the leads you're getting. As silly as this may sound, write down all your advertising methods on a piece of paper and track where every email/call comes from. Make sure you have the results in one spot so you can analyze them after each week, month, year.

Call Capture Numbers - You can tell exactly what ad leads are coming from by the extension that was used. Placing these extensions on your yard signs tells you how many people are calling from your sign.

Google Analytics - Need I say more? It's great and easy to use. See where new visitors came from and where they went on your site. This provides enlightening information as to the most and least viewed pages on your site. Most likely, this will tell you that you need to do some updating to your site.

Landing Pages - Create specific web pages that you place on direct mail pieces, print ads, Internet ads, or in email newsletters. When people go to each specific landing page than you know exactly what ad generated the lead.

Email Newsletters - This is almost too simple. Use an online program like ConstantContact to send your email newsletters and it will do the rest! Track your open rates, click throughs, bounces, etc. A great tool to see who is opening your emails. It even tells you want section of the email they clicked on, so you know what your clients/sphere wants to read.

Asking - Oh yeah, if you just a get a call from a lead, don't forget to simply ask then how they got your number!

The only way you will be able to generate leads proficiently is by implementing an advertising tracking program. What works for one agent may not work for you and your database of clients.

Hope this helps you create a more productive marketing year for everyone.

TC Business Management, LLC - www.TCMandD.com - is a full service marketing firm that specializes in real estate. Search our blog for great marketing tips or feel free to call or email!

FREE, GOOD Email Marketing?

Yup! You can have both.

I create email newsletters for agents and recommend that they then sell some 'vendor' spots. Call up your mortgage rep, local contractor, insurance rep, home inspector, etc and ask them if they would consider advertising on your newsletter.

You don't have to charge alot to cover your costs. Under $200 for the intial design and then under $40/month for updating. That's only $680/year for a newsletter that GETS RESULTS! You could charge 4 vendors, $20/month and make $280/year - for nothing.

Now, you may ask, "Why pay that much for a newsletter? I can get some for free!" Well, that's fine. You can do that. My experience is though, and this is what Realtors who have hired me to do their newsletters for them tell me, their standard, free, templated newsletter gets little results. Very few opens let alone click throughs.

PLUS, I use a free email program (500 contacts, 3,000 emails/month) that allows you to post all your newsletters on Facebook, Twitter, My Space, StubleUpon, etc. Very useful!

They key to a good newsletter is GOOD CONTENT. Make them want to open it, and they will be waiting for it to come every month!

If you have great design & content, this will correlate directly with your open and click through rates. The higher those rates get, the more you can charge for newsletter advertising.

TC Business Management, LLC - www.TCMandD.com - is a full service marketing firm that specializes in real estate. Search our blog for great marketing tips or feel free to call or email!

What's Wrong with my Postcards?

Have you sent a lot of postcards to your database or farm and not gotten any response? Well, there could be a couple reasons why. The number one rule to marketing is consistency. If you send postcards for 2 months then stop for 6 and send for another month and stop again, you're wasting your time. Some say something is better than nothing, but in the previous case, it's not. Don't waste your money.

Now, if you have the consistency, but no results than you're doing something wrong. Poor content, bad design, no call to action...People don't like what your sending them and it's not making them think of you as a Real Estate Expert that they would call.

Let's start with content. Send people information that they are going to be interested in and that will also make your look like a neighborhood expert. Market statistics, recent sales, neighborhood news, home maintenance tips, local vendors, real estate news, your real estate buying/selling statistics, etc., that is what people want from their realtor. Make yourself look like an expert. Don't send recipe cards - you're not a chef!

Bad design is another issue. Use a great headline and a lot of white space. You want this card to be easy to read and understand. Don't make it too boring though. A little bit of design sense is worth the modest cost. Just don't let an artist put their vision on your design. Try to work with someone who understands design AND marketing.

Always include a call to action. Make sure to ask for referrals or direct them to visit your website for more valuable information. If you don't ask them to do anything, they won't!

TC Business Management, LLC, www.TCMandD.com, is a firm specializing in marketing. Your time should be spent with clients, not designing and maintaining marketing systems. TC believes in result driven marketing. We want to grow your business as much as you do!

6 Basic Website Necessities

Creating a basic website potential clients will want to use isn't as hard as you may think. Why do people come to your website? Search for homes, find area information, find real estate information, find financing information, etc., etc. Build off that...

1- Search for Homes - make sure your search engine is very prominent and easy to use. Create a large link of the home page directing people to that page. You can also setup pre-designed searches that may target your niche - say, homes in a certain area, for a certain price, or foreclosure/short sale listings, golf course communities, 55+ communities, etc. Be creative with it.

2- Real Estate Information - the most important topic you can have on your site today through June of 2010 is related to the tax credit. Make sure you have a prominent link on your site that directs visitors to all the details. Also, sellers like to see market data. Have a page that you update bi-weekly or monthly for your areas sales and listing data.
3- Virtual Tours - Buyers love Virtual Tours! Create one for each of your listings and market it. Under your featured property section, be sure to include links to each listings virtual tour.

4- Open Houses - Potential buyers go to open houses. Especially if they aren't working with an agent yet. Make it easy/motivational for them to contact you and get a list of open houses directly from the MLS.

5- Blog - create a blog and post to it often. It will generate leads for your site and encourage people to come back often. Loyalty is important. You don't want your leads going and finding another site.

6- Finally - offer value. What makes you better than every other agent? Buyers and Sellers don't care about awards. They care about results (even though they run hand and hand). Don't say that you are a Multi-Million Dollar Producer, say that your listings sell for 97% of list price. That's what they want to hear. They need to feel like they are getting something more from you than another agent.

You may have come up with other great ideas for content to include, but just don't have the time to create or implement them. That is what TC Business Management, LLC - www.TCMandD.com - is for! We are a firm that specializes marketing. Your time should be spent with clients, not designing marketing materials. TC believes in result driven marketing. We want to grow your business as much as you do!